Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 253: The Use of Mystery (1)

The left leg, imbued with mystery, truly pressed down on the earth.

“…Hmm?”

Cain was startled.

Contrary to what his senses had warned, nothing happened.

The ground remained utterly silent, as if a regular human had simply stomped on it.

Considering Ketal’s power, this was extremely unusual.

However, soon after, the aftereffects of the force began to manifest.

Rumble…

“Huh? Wha—?”

The ground started to shake.

At first, it was just a slight tremor, but it quickly grew stronger.

Before long, the earth shook so violently that it was hard to maintain balance.

Then, the ground, unable to withstand the force, began to collapse.

Crack!

The ground split and shattered.

Cain’s body stumbled as he fell into the widening crevice.

He quickly pushed off the broken earth, propelling himself into the air.

His body floated in midair.

“This is crazy!”

Cain cursed as he looked down at the ground from the sky.

The entire land was splitting and collapsing.

It was an earthquake.

Of course, the phenomenon itself wasn’t particularly special.

Until now, Ketal had caused the ground to crack and shatter during battles.

It was as if an earthquake had occurred.

But that had only been a metaphor.

Ketal’s immense power had only shaken the surface of the earth—a mere imitation.

Naturally, the range was limited.

But this time, it was different.

Ketal’s power, imbued with mystery, had reached deep into the earth’s crust.

A true earthquake, a grand natural phenomenon, had begun.

Rumble…

The surrounding land shook.

The sky trembled under the immense force.

Animals screamed and began to flee.

Ketal and Cain were a fair distance away from the forward base, but the earthquake spread that far.

Rumble…

As the ground shook, tents collapsed.

The earth cracked open.

“Damn it!”

“W-wait!”

People screamed and shielded themselves.

The archbishop was in shock.

“It’s an earthquake! Everyone, be careful!”

Rumble…

Thankfully, the earthquake subsided before long.

“Why did an earthquake suddenly happen?”

“Jeez, I almost died.”

People stood up, bewildered.

None of them suspected that a single person had caused this.

Boom!

Though the distance made it seem to settle down quickly, Cain, who was at the epicenter, was not so fortunate.

The ground crumbled and split apart.

“Grrr!”

As Cain tried to shield himself from the collapsing earth, Ketal moved.

He grabbed Cain and pulled him away from the center of the earthquake.

“T-thanks.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing. This happened because of me.”

“…”

Cain couldn’t deny it.

After a short while, the ground finally calmed down.

All that lay before them was a ruined land.

The entire barren plain had collapsed and been destroyed.

“…It’s over.”

“You’ve definitely gotten stronger.”

Ketal smiled with satisfaction.

He, too, could feel that his power had reached deep into the earth’s crust.

This was something he had never been able to do before.

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At least, it wasn’t something that could have happened just by using his power earnestly.

His strength had definitely increased.

But more importantly, his body was intact.

Despite drawing out this much power, he felt no strain.

It was as if he had finally obtained a body that matched his strength.

He was extremely satisfied.

“Hmm. But the mystery is fluctuating. It’s going to take quite a bit of time to settle it down. Is it always like this?”

Ketal asked Cain.

But Cain couldn’t respond.

He just stared at Ketal with a stunned expression.

* * *

“…Just a moment.”

That night, the archbishop, who met with Cain, had a stern expression.

“You’re saying that the earthquake that happened earlier today… occurred because Sir Ketal stepped on the ground?”

“…Yes.”

“Oh my.”

The archbishop buried his face in his hands.

An earthquake.

A grand natural phenomenon.

The power contained within it was immense.

Even modern humanity, with its tremendous destructive power, couldn’t create an earthquake artificially, so there was no need to say more.

But Ketal did it.

With a single step, he created an earthquake.

Ketal possessed the power to affect the planet itself.

“Is this something that could happen… for someone of Hero Class?”

At Cain’s murmuring, the archbishop immediately shook his head.

“No. It’s impossible.”

Even the Earth Mother Goddess’s church had powerful heroes.

But creating an earthquake in such a manner was impossible.

Perhaps if they used a holy relic, but doing so purely with mystery was unthinkable.

Even then, it would require a long preparation time.

‘…Who is he?’

Who in the world was he?

What laid in the White Snowfield?

Cain’s mind became clouded with thoughts.

And the next day.

Upon meeting Ketal, Cain spoke immediately.

“From now on, when you handle the mystery, you should work to suppress the aftereffects as much as possible. Never stomp or press down on the ground.”

“Understood.”

Ketal nodded.

The previous day's events hadn’t been a success for him either.

‘I couldn’t control my power.’

He hadn’t yet mastered controlling the body enhanced by mystery.

It was because he wasn’t used to it yet.

And the mysterious beast raged within him like mad.

Like a beast released from a cage for the first time.

It caused all sorts of chaos within him.

It took him an hour just to bring it under control.

‘This won’t do.’

In the current state, it was nothing short of a ticking time bomb.

It wasn’t power that could be wielded recklessly.

It had to be controlled and suppressed, wielded consistently.

And more than anything, this brute-force approach wasn’t what Ketal desired.

In the White Snowfield, there were already beings that were simply strong.

What he desired was the uniqueness of the mystery.

Therefore, he would control the mystery.

Suppress the beast and draw out only as much mystery as he could handle.

Gradually shroud his body in the mystery.

Seeing this, Cain shuddered once more.

Ketal was mastering it at an incredible speed.

Although it took time due to the mystery's uniqueness, he handled it exactly as he wished.

‘What have I awakened?’

‘The being in front of me now, just how far can it reach?’

The emotion of regret flashed through Cain’s mind.

But it was too late now.

The die was cast.

Watching Ketal closely, Cain spoke.

“Think of it as holding the mystery circulating through your entire body. Imagine wrapping your entire body in it.”

“Understood.”

Ketal followed Cain’s instructions.

He held onto the mystery and used it to shield his body.

His body became even more robust.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

At this level, even the top tier of superhumans would be unable to affect his body.

Not even a god could easily intervene.

Ketal smiled.

‘It’s been a while.’

The sensation of reaching a higher level.

The feeling of growing stronger.

A Sharpened Sense.

It had been a long time since he'd felt this way.

In the white snowfield, he had hit his limit long ago.

No matter how much he trained and pushed himself, he couldn’t grow stronger.

Of course, there were ways to become stronger.

But those were not the paths he wished to take, so they weren’t an option.

Yet now, the restriction had been lifted.

He would grow stronger.

Far more than before.

While mastering the mysteries he had long desired.

Ketal’s deficiency was beginning to be filled.

* * *

Two days passed like that.

Ketal had become more accustomed to handling the mysteries.

After observing him for a moment, Cain finally spoke.

“This should be enough to cover the basics.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. It’s about time to test it properly.”

They needed to confirm exactly how much stronger Ketal had become.

To see to what extent he could wield the mysteries.

They needed to verify this through a sparring match.

The only problem was, there wasn’t anyone who could spar with Ketal.

“What’s there to worry about?”

Ketal grinned broadly as he spoke.

“There’s something perfect for testing right here.”

“…Ah.”

Cain realized what Ketal was talking about.

Ketal was staring at the jet-black wall that had swallowed the sanctuary.

* * *

As Ketal approached the wall, the Mercenary King directed his men.

Ketal asked him.

“How’s the situation?”

“We keep trying, but we haven’t made much progress. It’s incredibly solid.”

The Mercenary King clicked his tongue.

Despite both he and Piego, the continent's top warriors, being there, they hadn’t been able to break through the wall.

“Indeed, the Demon of Design. His reputation from the Demon War remains intact.”

“Is that so?”

Ketal smirked.

“Then how about I take a crack at it?”

“You? But you can’t…”

…handle the mysteries.

The Mercenary King was about to say, but he stopped himself.

Then, understanding dawned on his face, and he stepped back.

“You’ve gotten the hang of it, I see. Alright, I’ll order an evacuation just in case.”

“That won’t be necessary. Probably.”

Ketal spoke cheerfully.

* * *

On top of the jet-black wall, the Demon of Design, Karvaraks, was chuckling to himself.

“Go ahead, try your best to break through. It’s impossible for the likes of you.”

Karvaraks was in a good mood.

Piego and the Mercenary King, two of the strongest warriors on the continent, were stuck dealing with him.

From the perspective of Hell's invasion of the surface, this was a massive gain.

Karvaraks planned to keep them occupied as long as possible.

The Barbarian hadn’t shown himself in days, likely realizing that his strength was useless. Nothing could disturb Karvaraks’s mood anymore.

“The time for the blooming is near.”

Karvaraks smiled brightly as he gazed at the pink flower.

The flower was voraciously consuming the sanctuary's malevolent energy.

The time for its blooming was rapidly approaching.

When that time came, they would all die.

This world would face a terrible evil.

As Karvaraks stared out with a satisfied expression, his face suddenly changed.

“…You!”

He was shocked.

The massive Barbarian was slowly approaching.

Boom!

The fortress’s automatic defense systems activated.

Cannons and arrows rained down on Ketal.

“Oh, how nice.”

Ketal smiled gleefully as he flicked his fingers.

With that alone, all the attacks were crushed and scattered.

‘Hadn’t he left?’

Karvaraks was horrified.

He hadn’t seen the Barbarian for days, thinking he had finally gone, only for him to reappear. A trace of panic crossed his face.

But it was short-lived.

Karvaraks soon regained his composure.

‘That Barbarian can’t destroy the fortress anyway!’

Ketal had a deficiency.

He was undoubtedly a powerful being, but he couldn’t wield the mysteries.

That meant it was meaningless.

No matter how much he broke and smashed the fortress, it could be immediately restored.

Karvaraks chuckled, regaining his confidence.

“You’ve come for nothing, Barbarian.”

Though, perhaps out of fear, his voice was much quieter than before.

But Ketal heard it clearly.

“I just want to check something.”

Ketal took a deep breath and began to concentrate.

Karvaraks found it strange that he was just standing there.

But that confusion didn’t last long.

His eyes widened.

Mystic energy began to gather around Ketal’s arm.

“W-wait a minute!”

How could he wield the mysteries?

Karvaraks frantically poured out his power, desperately attacking Ketal, but Ketal didn’t respond.

Yet, his body remained unscathed.

Finally, enough mystic energy gathered in his fist.

“Hmph!”

Ketal swung his fist.

The part of the wall his fist touched turned to dust and disappeared.

Boom!

It didn’t stop there.

The energy exploded outward.

The entire wall crumbled, and the black magicians resting inside were killed before they even knew what happened.

The flower bud wavered for a moment.

Boom…

“Oh…”

“My God.”

Those watching couldn’t believe their eyes.

The wall wasn’t just crumbling; it was turning to dust and vanishing.

“Insane!”

Karvaraks panicked as he tried to rebuild the wall.

Bricks appeared out of thin air, and the siege weapons returned.

But there was a noticeable loss of power.

Unlike before, Ketal’s attack had clearly caused damage.

“Oh! It really works!”

Ketal, satisfied, gathered mystic energy into his fist once more.

Boom!

He swung again.

The wall turned to dust and disappeared.

Karvaraks gritted his teeth and restored it again.

Ketal shook his fist after a few more cycles of attack and repair.

“That’s enough for now.”

He was reaching his limit.

The mystic energy within him was raging.

Ketal smiled contentedly.

“For now, it’s four times. I’ve confirmed that.”

“Huff, huff.”

Meanwhile, Karvaraks was sweating profusely.

He had barely managed to defend himself, but he had expended a considerable amount of power.

Karvaraks groaned.

‘How…’

That Barbarian should have been deficient.

Yet, suddenly, that deficiency had been filled.

The situation had changed entirely.

Instead of leisurely holding out, he now had to defend with all his might.

Ketal looked up at him and smiled.

“Do your best to hold out. I’m counting on you.”

‘Please. Don’t collapse until I’ve fully mastered this.’

“…….”

Karvaraks’s face turned pale.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]